Did I ever tell you about how I got lost in Paris? Let me tell you about the first time I traveled overseas.
Back in March 2023, I, along with some friends, went on a mission trip to a town in southern France called Draguignan. We were supporting missionaries who had started a church there and were coming to help spread the gospel.
We flew out of New York the day before and landed in Paris the following morning. Our first day was filled with excitement, wonder and lots of jet lag.
Despite being exhausted, I was super excited to finally be outside the United States. We spent the first part of the day exploring the city while we waited for our train to arrive.
We got a chance to eat crêpes in front of the Eiffel Tower, visit some local stores and we even saw Notre-Dame. Eventually, the time came for us to board a train and travel five hours south through the French countryside.
But first we had to navigate the train station, and to say it was crowded would be an understatement. The entire facility was flooded with people, so much so that, I ended up getting separated from my friends.
I searched for them among the crowd, but I could not find anybody. Then, five minutes before the train pulled away, one of my friends found me and helped me navigate the maze of people.
Before I knew it, I was reunited with everyone else, and we were on our way to help our missionary friends.
The lesson here is simple: Always have friends by your side.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow …”
Without my friend, I might still be stuck in that train station, but thanks to him, I got to see God’s hand touch a community that needed to hear the word. After spending a few days helping the missionaries preach the gospel, we returned to Paris, and eventually went home.
As I start the new school year, I am going to make sure to spend time with my friends and go on fun and new adventures with them.
That’s all for this adventure. I’ll see you in the next one!
Warden is the Editor-in-Chief for The Liberty Champion.